BEIRUT: League leaders Nejmeh will take on struggling Mabarrah Saturday to try to extend their lead at the top of the Lebanese Premier League table.Moussa Hojeij’s Nejmeh sit two points above second place Safa and are widely expected to beat a Mabarrah side who have dropped into the relegation zone in recent weeks. Nejmeh’s loss of talisman Abbas Atwi hasn’t slowed them down as they are continuing to grind out wins, week after week.

After starting the season on decent form, seeing themselves climb to fourth place in the table, Mabarrah have now slipped down the table and are sitting in 11th place. In fact Mabarrah’s last nine games have seen them lose eight and draw just the one.

The other match on Saturday will have Shabab Sahel play Salam Sour. Shabab are sitting in sixth place with 17 points from 14 matches and a win would see them temporarily pass Akhaa Aley, who have lost five straight games after a promising start to the season. Last weekend saw Shabab Sahel beat Ahli Sidon 3-0, their first win since November.

Salam Sour have just recently jumped above Mabarrah in the table but still have only taken eight points from 14 games. Salam Sour however are on a three game losing streak.

Sunday see’s Racing and Safa meet up for the second time this week as Racing lost a close battle in the Lebanese Cup Wednesday. Safa have been in fantastic form thanks to the crucial goals of Nigerian striker Samuel Ngo.

In midweek, Safa dominated Racing Beirut for large periods of the game but were unable to convert their possession into goals, relying on a last minute goal from Amar Khan to force extra time. A win versus Racing would make it 10 wins in a row for Safa.

Racing Beirut, on the other hand, have seen their recent form dip. According to Racing manager, David Nakhid, a congested schedule is to blame.

Bottom side Ahli Sidon will face free-falling Akhaa Aley on Sunday. Akhaa Aley had an incredible start to the season, but the dream start has turned into a semi-nightmare as Akhaa Aley’s form has been horrendous as of late. Five losses in a row has seen the Mount Lebanon side drop to fifth in the standings with their last win coming in mid-December. Ahli Sidon is also in poor form, letting in nine goals and scoring zero in their last three matches, all defeats. Ahli Sidon have the worst defensive record in the league conceding 32 goals in 14 games and have recently been cannon fodder for the league’s highest scoring team.

Also Sunday, Jamal Taha’s Ansar will play Sporting Tripoli. Ansar are currently in fourth place with 27 points from 14 games. They are hot on the tail of Ahed, having not lost a league match since early December. Ansar’s youth revolution seems to be paying dividends after a rocky start to the season.